Seth MacFarlane VS. Jon Stewart (VS. Piers Morgan?)

Oh, GREAT! I feel like it’s been years since we had a good feud, and don’t get me wrong, this is by no means a GOOD feud — it’s fairly mild-mannered and under control — but it’s certainly a feud and it’s certainly being discussed right now even though it’s based on events that happened about five years ago. Whatever, semantics. (Not semantics.) So!

On the most recent episode of Piers Morgan (airing tonight), Piers goads Seth MacFarlane into talking about a phone call Jon Stewart made to him back in 2008. (Kind of goads. It doesn’t seem like Seth MacFarlane is TOO hesitant to talk about it.) The story behind the call is that during the Writers Guild strike of 2007/2008, both The Daily Show and The Colbert Report went back on the air before the strike ended, without their writers. It was a controversial decision! And Seth MacFarlane reacted to that decision by making a joke about it on Family Guy, as he is wont to do. (I don’t know what the joke was. Probably The Daily Show is on TV and a big slug with a Star Wars shirt sits on Jon Stewart and then the set explodes and we’re suddenly in a Super Mario type videogame and Mario pops out with a sign that says “Writers On Strike” and then farts. That’s what Family Guy is like, right? I’m pretty sure that’s what Family Guy is like.) When Piers brings it up, Seth claims that he had never spoken about it before, but as Vulture points out, he HAS talked about it before — in a 2008 issue of Time:

There was a very inside joke on Family Guy referring to the fact that he was working before the writers’ strike was over. It was admittedly a very direct middle finger of a joke, which I don’t discount. But he called and was very angry about it. The call lasted an hour. It was pretty amazing. He’s a very good debater, I’ll tell you that. It was fascinating to me that it went on for so long.

Juicy feud! THE JUICIEST! But really the most upsetting thing about this feud is how excited Piers Morgan seems to be getting THE 2008 SCOOP. Do we have a clip? Let’s roll the clip:

Ugh, Piers Morgan. This is a regular Hank Williams Jr. making the cast of Fox and Friendslook reasonable type situation. Why do you have to make me be on Seth MacFarlane’s side verses your side, when you should not even be included in the sides? Why does the world have to be backwards? Why do feuds have to be SO MUCH FUN, regardless? I’m not entirely sure who’s side I’m on here — I know a few TV personalities went back on air before the strike ended (Conan O’Brien being one of them) and I don’t know all the facts that led up to those decisions because what am I, a fact machine? But Seth MacFarlane seems to be making a reasonable point. I guess all I know is that in this feud I am NOT on Piers Morgan’s side. Booooooooooo! Boooooo Piers Morgan! I won’t watch your show tonight! Or ever! And I never have! You haven’t lost anything, boooooooo!

Seth MacFarlane is just wrong on this point. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. Most of the staff of The Daily Show are not writers, and they needed their jobs as much as anybody. They stayed on the air so those people could put food on their families, and just winged it until the strike was over. Fucking self-important prick.

Well those show did have to consider the welfare of the rest of crew: camera operators, make-up, wardrobe, etc.) It’s not too douchey to go on during a writer’s strike if it’s to keep other people and their families fed.

Damn it, now I’m curious about the Family Guy bit, but too lazy to go searching for something that will surely not be worth the effort, and will likely be pretty close to Kelly’s approximation. Any closeted Family Guy fans who would like to fill us in? I will defend you from anyone who tries to pass judgement

Nope, this is not a feud. This is what it looks like when reasonable people have a difference of opinion and are willing to discuss it frankly and passionately. Nobody has to “choose sides” or acknowledge the existence of Piers Morgan.

I’ve also never seen the show and never will, but maybe his awfulness is some bizarre attempt to make his guests look good? I know Larry King sucked up to guests like crazy… is it possible this is the lorry version of that? By being so insufferable that ANYONE looks good in comparison?

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